Mets Have Early Spot In Rule 5 Draft

The New York Mets will get on the clock early during Wednesday’s Rule 5 Draft in Nashville, which is part of MLB’s Winter Meetings.

The New York Mets could be looking for talent from other teams in this draft, and they have the room to maneuver with the No. 8 overall pick. The order is determined by reverse order of record in the 2023 season.

In order to select a player, the Mets have to have room on their 40-man roster. Even with a flurry of moves this week, the Mets have just 33 players on their 40-man roster. The trick is that any player the Mets take must also be moved to their 26-man roster once selected. The Mets must also pay that player’s former team $100,000.

Taking multiple players in the Major League portion isn’t unusual, either. The Baltimore Orioles have done it twice in the last three Rule 5 Drafts.

The Mets have to mind their own store, as well. Several of their prospects could be selected, one of the most intriguing of which is pitcher Coleman Crow, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Crow qualifies for the Rule 5 Draft because he was drafted out of high school in 2019 by the Los Angeles Angels. Players that start their pro career at 18 or younger like Crow have to be on a team’s 40-man roster after five seasons or they can go through the Rule 5 Draft.

The Mets left him unprotected at the tender deadline.

If a team takes Crow, the Mets get $100,000. If that team at any point next season releases Crow, for example, he would have to go through outright waivers and be offered back to the Mets for $50,000.

The Mets selecte Zach Greene from the New York Yankees in last year’s Rule 5 Draft but sent him back to the Yankees a few months later.

The last time the Mets lost a player in the Major League portion was 2015, when the St. Louis Cardinals selected pitcher Matt Bowman and kept him the entire season.

The last time the Mets kept a player they selected in the Rule 5 Draft was pitcher Sean Gilmartin in 2014, who was a part of the Mets’ bullpen during their World Series season in 2015.

Rule 5 Draft Order

1. Oakland

2. Kansas City

3. Colorado

4. Chicago White Sox

5. Washington

6. St. Louis

7. Los Angeles Angels

8. New York Mets

9. Pittsburgh

10. Cleveland

11. Detroit

12. Boston

13. San Francisco

14. Cincinnati

15. San Diego

16. New York Yankees

17. Chicago Cubs

18. Miami

19. Arizona

20. Minnesota

21. Seattle

22. Toronto

23. Texas

24. Philadelphia

25. Houston

26. Milwaukee

27. Tampa Bay

28. Los Angeles Dodgers

29. Baltimore

30. Atlanta